Peter Rosenberg addressed the JBL bullying scandal on the latest episode of his podcast “Cheap Heat“. Rosenberg also now works for WWE and hosts “Bring It To The Table” alongside JBL. This story started to get more attention after JBL criticized Mauro Ranallo for posting a list from Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer. Mauro Ranallo was named announcer of the year by the Wrestling Observer and tweeted about it. JBL made fun of Ranallo for that on “Bring It To The Table”.
Here are some highlights of what Rosenberg said during the episode:
JBL Not Acknowledging The Wrestling Observer
“He takes a jab at Mauro, and if you go back and watch, it was utterly not that serious. As were many of the things we did on that episode. Guys, we have legitimate takes on that show but it is WWE programming, none of it is that serious. More importantly to me, it was not that he teased Mauro, it was that he didn’t even recognize The Observer at all. JBL utterly buried Meltzer and The Observer. That has to be noted because who has been the number one person pushing this story? Dave Meltzer and The Observer.
So are you going to tell me Dave, because you think people like me and everyone else that speaks on this is a cooperate shill… and Jonathan Coachman who you said falsely was the target of JBL’s bullying which just isn’t true. You (Meltzer) are going to call everyone else a shill and say that they have an agenda, but you don’t have an agenda? Even after JBL buried you? JBL called it a random internet list and gave no credit to it, I’m sure that bothered Meltzer.”
JBL Criticizing Mauro Ranallo For “Putting Himself Over”
“It was a little bit poor form to post the list. If someone posted a list and said who is the best radio personalities in the game? Number one was Peter Rosenberg, I probably wouldn’t post that or retweet that just because it made me look good and buries everyone else that I work with. Do I think he is a bad guy for posting that? No. Do I think it is worth a joke or two? Yes. I think a joke or two is totally in bounds.
Do I know everything that has ever transpired between JBL and Mauro Ranallo? Absolutely not. The idea that Mauro Ranallo is leaving WWE because of a joke on “Bring It To The Table” is crazy and there are a lot of people on Twitter that believe that is it. Are you a fan of professional wrestling and you think that would be a valid reason to leave? Being teased on a show? You know what it used to be like back in the day, in the Blackjack Mulligan era,and you think someone making a joke leads to someone missing Wrestlemania? Let’s just assume that can’t be a reasonable reason to leave WWE.
I am going to defend JBL because he is the first person that I’ve worked with since I got to WWE. JBL has also given me a hard time during “Bring It To The Table” and at no point did I take any of that seriously. And when he does it on-air and off-air, I laugh and I smile back and he starts laughing. That is the kind of guy he is. Do I know everything he has ever done? No I don’t. I’m just telling you that my experience has been nothing but positive. I came into it as an outsider expecting a bit of ball-busting. Bullying is a real issue especially when it comes to children. Children being bullied is a real issue and nothing to joke about. I am not going to live in a world where a grown man making jokes to another grown man at his workplace, if it was simply jokes, is enough reason for someone to leave his workplace. I can’t subscribe to that.”
Rosenberg On Justin Roberts
“Listen I don’t know Justin Roberts, I’m sure he is a nice enough guy. I’ll tell you one thing, he very clearly had an axe to grind with WWE since the second he was released. If you are now going to believe every word he says while he is promoting a book and he has hated the company since the second he left, and you are not going to take that with a grain of salt… that is just being silly.”
You can listen to the entire episode of “Cheap Heat” on iTunes.
